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EPA Recognizes GM for Green Power Leadership

GM Ranks No. 29 on EPA’s National Top 100 List of Green Power Users

Brand Provided | By General Motors | Published 5 years ago | About a 2 minute read

Image: Pexels

General Motors has earned a spot on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Top 100 List of the largest green power users from the Green Power Partnership. Ranked No. 29, GM is the only automotive company on this list. GM is also No. 6 on the GPP’s Top On-Site Generation list and No. 14 on EPA’s list of Green Power Partners from the Fortune 500®.

GM’s decision to use green power, including landfill gas, wind and solar energy, helps advance the voluntary market for it and the development of green power sources. The company uses nearly 430 million kilowatt-hours of green power annually, which represents more than 10 percent of its U.S. operations’ total power needs. According to the EPA, this is equivalent to the annual electricity use of nearly 40,000 average American homes.

“By making the choice to use green power, GM is not only advancing its vision of a future with zero emissions, but also helping set a benchmark for others that using green power is good for the environment and a smart business decision,” said Rob Threlkeld, global manager of Sustainable Energy and Supply Reliability at GM. “We are grateful to be recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for our ongoing progress in this space.”

GM is committed to further increasing its renewable energy footprint and finding clean energy solutions near its operations. To date, GM has contracted or invested in a total of 1.71 terawatt hours of clean energy power in North America, equivalent to powering more than 145,000 households. That’s more than any other automaker in the region. In 2016 GM committed to becoming 100 percent supplied by renewable energy by 2050 through energy efficiency, sourcing renewable energy, energy storage and leveraging scale and policy to grow the industry. This includes partnerships with utilities and supporting the developments of green tariffs.

The efforts go beyond green power and renewable energy. In 2010, GM committed to reducing its energy and carbon intensity by 20 percent by 2020, and in 2017, had already met and exceeded this goal. Energy efficiency and conservation is a team effort, with each GM facility contributing to energy-related goals as part of its business plan.

By moving the needle in the voluntary green power market and engaging in energy efficiency and conservation, GM is helping reduce the negative health impacts of air emissions including those related to ozone, fine particles, acid rain and regional haze.

“This list of the largest users of green power across the nation is proof that good business practices can also benefit the environment,” said James Critchfield, program manager of EPA's Green Power Partnership. “EPA applauds the leading organizations in the Green Power Partnership’s Top Partner Rankings for their notable commitment to expanding their use of green power and protecting the environment.”